Sunan Ibn Majah

Sunan Ibn Majah 2522

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، عَنْ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ السِّمْطِ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِكَعْبٍ يَا كَعْبَ بْنَ مُرَّةَ حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَاحْذَرْ ‏.‏ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ مَنْ أَعْتَقَ امْرَأً مُسْلِمًا كَانَ فِكَاكَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ يُجْزِئُ بِكُلِّ عَظْمٍ مِنْهُ عَظْمٌ مِنْهُ وَمَنْ أَعْتَقَ امْرَأَتَيْنِ مُسْلِمَتَيْنِ كَانَتَا فِكَاكَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ يُجْزِئُ بِكُلِّ عَظْمَيْنِ مِنْهُمَا عَظْمٌ مِنْهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Translation

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Amr ibn Murrah, from Salim ibn Abi al-Jad, from Shurahbil ibn al-Simt, who said: I said to Kab ibn Murrah, O Kab ibn Murrah, narrate to us from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and take care. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever emancipates a Muslim man, he will be his ransom from the Fire; for each bone of the man, one of his bones will suffice. Whoever emancipates two Muslim women, they will be his ransom from the Fire; for every two bones of theirs, one of his bones will suffice.

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • Shurahbil explicitly asks Kab to take care while narrating. The report repeats the image of emancipation as ransom from the Fire and uses a correspondence between the freed persons bones and the emancipators; the wording has been kept close rather than smoothing away this image.